The point of this patchy compilation, released on Capitol Records' discount-priced Starline series in 1960, seems to be to put
Peggy Lee's 1958 Top Ten single "Fever" on an LP for the first time. The single's B-side, "You Don't Know," also appears, along with five tracks from singles
Lee released in 1959: the old
Fanny Brice signature song "My Man," which reached the singles chart as the B-side of "Alright, OK, You Win"; the charting cover of
Ray Charles' "Hallelujah, I Love Him So" and its B-side, "I'm Lookin' Out the Window," and the non-charting single "You Deserve" with its B-side "Where Do I Go from Here."
Lee's biggest hit, "Manana (Is Soon Enough for Me)," from back in 1948, is thrown in for good measure, and the collection is padded out to 12 tracks by digging four previously unreleased songs from the vaults: "Whee Baby," "Louisville Lou (That Vampin' Lady)," "It Keeps You Young," and "Let's Call It a Day." Despite this grab-bag of sources, there are some excellent, if stylistically disparate, performances, starting with the brilliantly smoldering "Fever." "You Don't Know" is even bluesier and an excellent companion piece. The faux-Latin "Manana (Is Good Enough for Me)" is always welcome, and
Lee's effervescent reading provides a light contrast to
Charles' on "Hallelujah, I Love Him So." Among the better known material, only "My Man" is a failure, because it doesn't suit the singer, whose cool persona is at odds with its hot, emotional fervor.
Lee has fun with the lesser known songs, but it's easy to see why they are lesser known. ~ William Ruhlmann